Magnetic Saturation of the Iron Core in the STOR-M Tokamak

Abstract: In the field of controlled nuclear fusion, the tokamak (a toroidal vacuum chamber which uses magnets to confine and heat plasma to fusion temperatures/ pressures) is one of the most promising candidates for a fusion reactor. The spherical tokamak (ST) has been a good candidate for tokamak reactor designs since its inception in the 1980s. The design boasts economic benefits that are especially important for labs looking to build tokamaks for research as the ST cuts down on the cost of the large magnets needed to establish the strong magnetic fields in a tokamak. One of the problems with the ST design is less space for a centre solenoid which can be used to induce plasma current. Using the iron-core tokamak STOR-M we are able to study plasma performance as the core becomes increasingly magnetized. This effect is of some concern to the tokamak community as it becomes more pronounced as the size of the tokamak core region (the hole in the tokamak torus) decreases.